Often spoken of in the same breath as Pietra Dura, Scagliola is a decorative art form with its own distinct magic. It is the art of building imagery and pattern from pigmented plaster, inlaid and layered by hand to mimic natural stone, or to create colours and effects that stone alone cannot achieve.

Scagliola is made by preparing batches of coloured plaster, sometimes mixed and veined to resemble marble , then cutting, inlaying, and building the material in stages to form complex pictures, borders, and ornamental fields. The finish can be polished to a soft stone-like glow, with a depth and clarity that feels simultaneously painterly and architectural.

Although Scagliola has roots in the ancient Roman world, it reached its zenith in 17th Century Italy, where it became a key component of Baroque interiors - used for grand wall panels, altar frontals, columns, and decorative architectural elements. Many of the finest historic examples can be studied in Florence, including works preserved and celebrated in ateliers such as the Opificio delle Pietre Dure .

The technique later travelled north through Europe. In Britain, designers and architects such as Robert Adam embraced Scagliola during the golden age of English country houses, specifying it for columns, pilasters, chimneypieces, and elegant interior ornament where the look of rare stone was desired at scale.

De Ferranti offers access to a small circle of highly skilled craftsmen still working in this demanding medium. Scagliola is ideal for decorating large areas of walls, floors, and columns, while also lending itself beautifully to smaller commissions such as tabletops, framed wall panels, decorative inserts, and bespoke furniture surfaces.